Pokemon at the Chunin Exams
by AnonymousGX
Summary: Three different types of Pokemon users were sent to the Chunin Exams. How will they do against the Ninjas from the Hidden Villages?
1. First Exam

**These new story starters just come one after another! I don't think I'll be able to keep up with them all at a decent pace!**

**Oh yeah... I own nothing!**

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><p>"I can't believe Arceus sent us here!" Ben cried out. Ben was a thin but slightly muscled brown-haired boy, around 12 years old. His clothing was all colored red, white, and blue, except for his golden socks and scarf. He was wearing blue trousers, a white shirt, red vest, and multicolored shoes, gloves, and goggles. On his wrist was what looked like a huge watch, also red and blue, with a white strap.<p>

"Pi-pichuuu," agreed his companion. Riding his shoulder was a small black and yellow rodent, with a blue ukulele strapped behind it.

"I can't believe he didn't give me time to pack properly," Charlotte complained. This 13 year old blond was wearing a pink frilly jumper and hat. She accessorized with a white backpack and a belt with six red and white balls, each one with a unique sticker.

"I can't believe I got saddled with you two weaklings," a young adult grumbled. Adam had short black hair, and was wearing almost all black cape-less battle suit that would almost make Batman jealous. Instead of a bat symbol, however, there were three dim jewels on his chest. He also had a hip pack, colored the same black as his armor suit. His physique was tall and very well built, easily towering over those he reluctantly called teammates.

Two days before, all three were summoned by Arceus, the God of Pokemon. He told them they were to be tested, and were hence sent to this world which has no Pokemon. Their job; sign up as a team for something called the Chunin Exams. Arceus also gave them headbands with a metal forehead protector. On the protector was a Pokeball symbol. Ben put his on as a belt, Charlotte stitched just the metal plate onto her backpack, and Adam properly put his on his head, content the headband was the same color black as his armor. Satisfied, Arceus sent them to the town with the Chunin Exams, known as Konoha. However, he sent them there a day early, forcing them to find a hotel. Luckily, Charlotte had a few Nuggets they could convert to this world's currency.

On the appointed day, the trio went into the building in which the first exam was to take place. After climbing up a floor, Pichu got excited. "Chu! Chu!" He cried, pointing to the end of the hallway. There, Ben and Adam saw the room they were looking for; Room 301. It had many other teams of three grouped in front of it, ready to enter when the two door-guards would let them through. Seeing how far behind the other teams they were, Adam and Ben started heading for that door.

"Wait a minute guys! Come with me, I got to show you something," Charlotte whispered, pulling them up the stairs.

"Ow ow ow! Not the ear!" Ben was complaining. Because he tilted his head harshly, Pichu had to jump off and follow on foot, which was hard to do with steep stairs. When she let go at the next landing, he rubbed his sore spot and Pichu jumped back up. "What was that for?"

"Chuuu," Pichu agreed, a little angrily, a few stray sparks coming out of its cheeks. The little Pokemon then pulled out its Ukulele and got ready to give it an electric whirl.

"It better not be because you smudged your makeup," Adam growled out, rubbing his arm. That girl, while skinny, had quite a grip.

Charlotte quickly pulled out a hand mirror to check while she explained herself. "Because that wasn't the real room 301," Charlotte told them, making sure that Adam was wrong about her looks.

"How do you figure that?" Adam asked, the edge in his voice replaced with mild interest.

In answer, she pointed down the hall with her free hand, towards the end of the hallway. "That's Room 301," she told them as she put her mirror away, satisfied with how she looked. Sure enough, there was another room labeled 301. "I've been in many Pokemon Musicals and Contests, so I know how buildings are laid out. For this one, the hundreds is the floor number. The Room 301 we first saw was on the second floor, and should have been labeled Room 201. Also, the room next to it was Rooms 203 and 200 was across from it; they didn't change those."

"They put an different sign over the door," Adam realized, "tricking those teams into missing the true exam." _Maybe this fru-fru girl was useful after all,_ he thought to himself. _Her attention to detail in her makeup applied to the real world as well, letting her notice things like that. She also knew not to reveal the deceit to the other kids, something Ben probably wouldn't have picked up on._

"Good eye Charlotte!" Ben praised. His Pichu tucked away its instrument, then gave her a big thumbs up.

"It was nothing," Charlotte said, blushing. "You should have seen the largest Pokemon Contest building I competed in. The thousands number was the floor, the hundreds the wing, the tens the hallway, the ones the room, and the letter which section of that room!"

"Now that we know which room it really is, lets get this over with," Adam demanded, reminding the two kids why they were here. Cowed, they followed.

When they entered, they presented their entrance forms, given to them by Arceus. Although the people in charge were skeptical that they didn't hail from a 'hidden village', they were nevertheless allowed in. Charlotte was seated in the back corner, Ben in the middle, and Adam the row ahead of him.

When the exam was about to start, a scuffle started near the door. Then, a man with a scarred face and a cloth cap stood up and took his place at the front of the room. He seemed dead serious, a trait Adam shared and admired. It and his appearance, however, frightened Charlotte and Ben. "Greetings. Sorry for my tardiness. I will be your first examiner, Ibiki." His smile, both cruel and promising torture, scared everyone but Adam. "Fighting each other outside of the exam regulations is an automatic fail. So get to your seats!" The squabblers in the back took their seats. One of them, a blond, sat next to Ben.

"Let us begin," Ibiki told him. "But first, the rules. Nobody is allowed to ask questions while I explain this exam. At the start of the exam, each person will be handed the same ten questions on a paper exam." Hearing that they'd have to take a written exam terrified the blond and Ben, but the girl on the blond's other side calmed the latter boy down. Ibiki then started writing rules on the blackboard, without even glancing at it. His eyes were trained on the entire group, making each individual feel spotlighted.

"First rule: each teammate will start with ten points. With each incorrect answer of the test, you lose one point. If you reach 0, you fail." _So far so good,_ thought Adam. _But why say 'we start with ten points and be reduced,' rather than 'start with 0 and get increase'?_

"Second, for each time you're caught cheating, you will lose two points." _So that's why,_ Adam realized. _Rather than count up to ten, they count down, then consider your written score and number of cheats. But why have this kind of system? What if you got caught cheating three times and got five questions wrong? How would they tell,_ mid quiz, _that you reached or passed 0?_ Adam puzzled it over.

"Third, you pass or fail as a team." A pink-haired girl distracted the room with a forehead bang and a shout of exclamation. "If a teammate loses all ten points, all members of the team are banished from the exam." U_xie help us! Why was I stuck with those two Rhyhorns?_ Adam swore. _They will make me fail! Unless I somehow _cheat_ to help them... But that could get us thrown out!_

"You are in this exam to become ninja. So act like one of the highest rank," Ibiki continued. Adam thought that over. _Why be like a ninja? The Ninjas I know are sneaky, underhanded Trainers who attack from bad terrain disguises and resort to the most deceitful and cheating... _Wait! That's_ the answer!_ Adam realized. _Cheating wasn't forbidden, but warned against. We're supposed to cheat!_ He then turned back towards Charlotte, who was watching the instructor in fear. Ben, in the same position, was freaking out that he'd fail his team and be at the mercy of the scary Adam, who was giving him what he thought was an evil eye. _Neither of them had caught on yet,_ Adam figured. _How am I supposed to tell them without revealing the secret to everyone else?_

"Fourth, one problem isn't on your exam paper," Ibiki growled out. "It will be given orally 45 minutes into the examination." He then watched the clock, waiting for the second hand to announce a new minute. "... Begin!"

_Okay... _how_ to cheat..._ Adam thought to himself, head bowed towards his paper, not caring about what was actually on the page. He carefully reviewed what they shared with each other the night before. _I likely can't get up from my chair and pass a note to either of them without anyone noticing, nor can Charlotte or Ben. Charlotte told me what Pokemon she brought with her, but any of her Pokemon's attempts to cheat would be easily spotted. I can't speak Pokemon, and Charlotte can only understand hers, so Ben's Pichu can't get all three of us the answers... But Ben..._ Ben _can cheat! If only he knew what he was supposed to do... But who to cheat from? If we're supposed to cheat for answers, then where are the answers?_ Wait, _I know who can figure that out._

A few minutes later, in the back, Charlotte was sweating, which was ruining her complexion. _I can't solve these questions! I'll fail the team! Adam will kill me!_ She risked a glance up at said fear. To her surprise, he was looking directly at her. Satisfied that he had her attention, his eyes darted to the fellow exam takers, gazed back at her, smiled, then turned back to front. _Okay... what was that about? He looked at a few people, but why?_ Looking around, she saw some questionable activities mid occurrence. A pup was looking at other's papers then barking to the boy he was perched on, almost like a talking Lillipup. Another, with red hair, was covering his eye, and a sand eye was over a desk near him. Another boy, with his collar up, was talking to a fly, and many more were around the room on test papers.

_They... they're all cheating! Wait, not all of them,_ Charlotte realized. _Of the 125 people there, a few aren't cheating, and quite a few more are doing nothing. Did Adam want me to find out who was, or was not, cheating? And why?_

After fifteen minutes, a painted cat-boy got up and said he had to use the restroom. At the same time, Adam got up to do the same. However, when he was in the back of the class, he bumped into Charlotte's chair. In truth, he was tossing tiny wrapped notes into the lap of his partner.

Charlotte's note had two words. "Plant, who". Now she understood. The people who didn't need to cheat were those who knew the answers already, and were planted to be cheated off of. _Adam is as cunning as a Weavile_, she thought to herself. Armed with this info, she looked around, trying to figure out who the plants were. While there were a few not cheating and answering questions on their own, only one stood out. A girl many rows in front of her, the only one in the room with bright pink hair.

Charlotte now had a message to pass on. She wrote down 'pink hair has the answers' on a piece of scrap paper. But how to pass it on? She then realized how bad her makeup became and pulled out her mirror to fix the damage, as well as to watch for her partner. When she saw Adam returning in the mirror, she asked to go to the restroom and fix her makeup. A female proctor got up to lead her out. She and Adam bumped shoulders along their paths, and she discreetly passed him the note. Once he reached his desk, Adam wrote another message on the scrap and secretly tossed it to Ben.

Ben easily got the first message; the girl with pink hair had all the answers. The second one took awhile, but he understood that all three of them needed the answers, and that he should use '#93, R165'. _Do they really expect me to cheat?_ Ben asked himself in terror. _After the warning the proctor gave us about being kicked out? Not to mention, Arceus may be mad at us if we failed this Chunin Exam._

To his surprise, the girl opposite the blond offered softly to share her answers with the blond. It was then that Ben realized that everyone was cheating. He also saw that Adam was glaring at him again, a look that promised pain if Ben didn't comply.

_Azelf help me,_ Ben quietly prayed. Ben turned on his Capture Styler to Stealth Mode, a new feature to Ranger Stylers, and silently drew an invisible arrow under his desk. Summoned from his past lithograph partners came the Pokemon Adam asked for - number 93 in the National Pokedex Charlotte and Adam used, and number 165 in the Oblivia Ranger Browser Ben used - Haunter.

Connected by the Capture Styler, Ben didn't have to give any vocal commands; Haunter immediately understood its mission. It went invisible, read the pink-hair's answers, then guided Team Pokemon's hands in writing down the answers. Now, all they had to do is wait for the final question, not that they needed it anyway. Even if they were caught, the number of cheats each one hoped they had individually was at most three.

Many minutes and quite a few failed teams later, Ibiki got up to make his announcement. "Forty-five minutes in, and many of the incompetents have been eliminated. Here is the final question. But this question has its own special rule. You can choose whether or not to take this question. Those who opt out fail and will leave this exam. If you take it, and fail, you cannot apply for the Chunin Exam... ever again."

This statement scared Ben. _Was my cheating for nothing then? Arceus wanted us to participate in this Exam. So if we can't participate in another... Wait!_ Ben calmed down. _Even if we can't do another, we can still do this one! I'm in!_

Charlotte thought of almost the same reason. Adam was just too determined to pass to be scared of failure. Everyone else though... "That's a dumb rule!" the boy with the pup shouted out. "I see people who've taken this exam before, in this very room!"

To this, Ibiki laughed, sending chills in everyone's spines but Adam. "They haven't had me for an examiner yet," he replied. The room went deathly silent, and a couple teams left. So..." Ibiki stalled, drawing as much fear out of his audience as he could. "Who is willing to risk everything? Or will you try again during the next examination?"

**SLAM!** Ben jumped as a hand came down right next to his paper. The blond, who was the source of the noise, then spoke up. "Nice try, but I'm not backing out! Even if I fail, even if I'm a Genin forever, I will become Hokage!"

Those words seemed to inspire those still in the room. While Team Pokemon didn't understand the words Genin and Hokage, they understood the intent behind his small speech. They were the same words the famous Ash Ketchum said while on his journey. He said it when he woke up late for his first Pokemon, every time he bumbled a basic Pokemon strategy or common knowledge, and every time he was faced against opponents stronger than him.

"I will only ask once," Ibiki threatened. "Will you take the question, or go home safe?"

"You don't scare me! Just give us the question already!" the blond challenged back. These words inspired those around him. Those that were previously nervous and about to leave now had the confidence to stay.

Ibiki turned to his fellow Chunin along the walls. Charlotte noticed they all had smiles on their faces. But unlike the smile Ibiki was giving them for over fifty minutes, these ones were warm, celebrating. "For the first exam, everyone still here... has passed."

"WHA!" Ben and the blond couldn't help but blurting out. Charlotte and Adam were confused as well. But now, Charlotte saw that Ibiki's face was of true happiness. He wasn't kidding them, but what just happened?

"What about the tenth question?" The pinkette stood up and asked, voicing the thought on everyone's mind.

"That was the tenth question. 'Will you take the question, or go home safe'," Ibiki revealed.

"But what about the previous nine questions?" A girl with four short ponytails asked.

"They were to test how well you can gather information," Ibiki revealed. "I explained the rules in a way that allows cheating, and pressured you to see if you would cheat intelligently. Both the Chunin along the wall and the difficulty of the questions were to force you into a hard choice; cheat or fail. We even placed two Chunin who knew the answers among your midst, from whom you can cheat. Did any of you notice that, even though only three-man teams are allowed into this test, the number of people total wasn't a multiple of three?"

As the two Chunin waved, Charlotte realized that indeed was true; 125 divided by 3 equals 41 with two remaining. She also realized the pink-haired girl wasn't one of the plants; she was just an intelligent team member.

"But those who didn't cheat well enough failed," Ibiki said, removing his cap, "and here's why." At the sight, even Adam gasped. Ben almost got sick. Charlotte did get sick, and wondered why he didn't use a little makeup to cover all those gash scars, burns, bruises, and screw-holes. "Information can be the most valuable thing you'll gather as a ninja. More important than your life. Remember this, for if you gather incorrect data, your life, and the life of your village, will be in dire peril." Those words left those in attendance in awe.

"The world of ninjas isn't safe," Ibiki pushed on, putting his cap back on. "You'll go on many missions where it's either do or die. You don't have the option to play it safe. That was the purpose of the tenth question; to see who had the nerve to press on against all odds. ..."

He would have continued what would undoubtedly have been a great speech, but a bundled blur hurled into the room, shattering a window. The bundle threw two kunai; there was a person wrapped inside so the glass wouldn't damage him. The blanket unfolded with the kunai, becoming a banner.

Second Examiner, Anko Mitarashi, has arrived.

"Alright lilylivers, listen up!" the woman, identified by the banner as Anko, announced. "Your second examiner is here! Let's get on to the next examination! **Follow me!**"

_Great Ditto,_ Adam thought, _another Ben. Just what I needed._

_How can she wear such unfashionable clothes?_ Charlotte wondered to herself. _Seriously, a trench coat and fishnets?_

_This. Lady. Is. AWESOME!_ Ben mentally cheered.

"Hello Anko," Ibiki greeted her, peering around her banner. "You're early."

"Eighty-four?" Anko seemed to ask. "Did you really let 28 teams pass? Ibiki, you've gone soft!" she accused Ibiki sharply, earning her a few points with Adam.

"The fields were large and ripe this year. Be glad you'll harvest so many good students," Ibiki replied.

"Either way," Anko continued, "I'll be cutting their numbers down by at least half! This will be fun to watch... There's too many of you to do the second exam today. So meet me tomorrow at Training Ground 44 at one on the dot!" As fast as she said 'dot', she vanished. Her parting words spooked Ben and Charlotte, but Adam regained his drive and gained some respect for her.

A few hours later, Anko met up with Ibiki. She was there to ask about how the teams did for the first nine questions. After hearing how well many of the teams did, and surprised her with how one kid had a blank paper, Ibiki revealed a shocker. "Finally, there was one team that didn't use any form of jutsu I'm familiar with."

"What do you mean by that?" Anko asked him.

"They passed two notes, with three messages, between each other, then the scrawny kid drew an invisible arrow with his metal top," Ibiki revealed. "After that, they wrote the answers down one at a time. We managed to retrieve the notes from the exam room's trash can. One message told who had the answers and to get them for all three teammates, the second had numbers to 'use', and the last said 'plant, who'."

Anko thought this puzzle over, trying to guess how such an Intel gathering jutsu was possible, based on what the team did. However, none of the ideas made sense, besides a possible Summoning Jutsu. But Summons appeared with a bang, and needed a blood sample, two things that didn't occur during that exam. "Interesting kids. Mind telling me who they are? I'd like to keep an eye on them during my exam."

That night, Team Pokemon gathered in their hotel room. They discussed what happened that day over a good meal. Charlotte told them her observances on the people there: What team - or at least what insignia - everyone was part of, what Pokemon-like Attacks they could do, and about how long it took them to start cheating after the point she started paying attention. Adam was grateful that she also had an almost photographic memory; it really helped them understand what they were up against. Adam and Ben dutifully wrote down everything she said for future reference, and she supplied beautiful, detailed sketches of each person in question. Armed with this information, Team Pokemon now believed themselves ready for whatever the next test was to be. But what they didn't know was that they attracted the attention of two different interest groups.

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><p><strong>Exam 14 complete!**

**AnonymousGX**


	2. Second Exam, Part 1

**Wow! I thought that the Christmas Vacation would start yesterday! Turns out, I had enough time for this after all.**

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><p>Compared to starting the first test, three members of the team were prepared and ready to go. Adam had his map in hand, and was leading his team to the next exam location. Ben was following him, nervous at how many ninjas were eyeing them. Pichu was trying to help Ben's stress by playing his ukulele, doing his best not to give him a static shock.<p>

Their final member... "I got time to properly pack for this part of the exam, and you don't let me go buy makeup? And what's with the clothes you picked out for me?!" _It's a designer's nightmare!_ Charlotte kept to herself. Gone was her dress, and she was now wearing... a jumpsuit. It was slightly baggy, with it extending beyond her elbows and knees. Even her hair wasn't safe from Adam, he insisted that it be cut to above her shoulders, and had lost its luster and slight curl.

"We're going to be in a forest, and likely fighting," Adam told her. "You don't want to ruin your dress or get things in your hair, do you?"

"Well, no," Charlotte admitted. "But couldn't I get a hair bun? Or a skirt? At least something in red?"

"Then you'll stand out in the woods," Adam replied. "If the number of participants are to be cut by half, we'll likely have to face another team to pass. There may be other dangerous creatures in the forest, and we don't want either creatures or ninjas to spot us from a mile away."

"And yet that ninja," Charlotte pointed ahead, "gets to wear a neon orange prison suit?" They had arrived, just in time, to a wire fence keeping in a large circular forest; most likely the Forest of Death.

"Listen up you greenies!" Anko got everybody's attention. "The Second Exam will take place here; the Forest... of Death." A breeze passed with perfect timing, amplifying the chills running down most people's backs. Of course, the giant snake in the trees didn't sooth them at all either. "As for why we call it that, you'll get a first-hand experience!"

The orange ninja imitated her, poorly. "If you think you can scare us with that, you're dead wrong!"

Anko cocked her head to the side, a weird smile on her face. "Oh, so you are brave loudmouth, huh?" A knife slipped into her hand, and she threw it at the boy. "Your kind are always the first to fall." That made the boy stiff with fear.

However, he wasn't the only one scared by her move. The kunai only grazed him, and kept going. Seeing it head straight for her, Charlotte froze. Adam came to her rescue, using his forearm guard to deflect it into the air. The kunai spun out of control, landing clear of everybody. After recovering, Charlotte gave him a quick thanks.

Anko saw the move. "Looks like not everybody here is lily-livered... Lets see how many make it past the first day.

"But before we begin..." Anko reached into her coat and pulled out a huge stack of papers. _No way!_ Ben thought, _Not another written test!_ "I need these consent papers signed. Basically, neither myself or Konoha can be blamed for anything that happens in there, including your deaths." Before Ben thought to sign, Anko laughed, seemingly at the thought of watching them die. Even Adam thought something was off about that. She then passed the papers out, and reached into her coat again.

"But you want to know what you're up against first," Anko commented, pulling out a map which Ben and Adam scanned quickly. "This will be one huge survival course. The arena is circular with 44 entrances. Your target is the tower in the dead center of the forest, on the river that divides the arena in half." Anko put away the map and reached for two colored scrolls. "However, before you enter the tower, you must first collect these. Each team will be given one of these two scrolls. If you want the other, you'll have to fight over them." At this point, everyone realized that only half the teams could get both scrolls and pass, maximum. Anko started to look bored, apparently she didn't like formalities and loved the fighting. "But there are three conditions in order to pass. First, once again, you pass or fail as a team, so come to the tower with both scrolls and your teammates in decent condition. Second, you have five days to get both scrolls and enter the tower. Third, do not, under any circumstance, open these scrolls until you are in the tower. You may not like the surprise inside if you do. This rule is to determine how trustworthy you are, since there are missions where you have to deliver information without looking at it.

"Now that the rules are clear, go to that exchange counter. Trade in your three forms for one scroll and an assigned gate to enter the forest. You have until 2:30 to get your scroll and get to your gate, since your gate will open at that time and close after one minute." Formalities done, Anko exhaled, then regained her excitement. "At that point, every team here is your enemy. Now, lets see who's ready to face death!"

As a curtain fell over the counter, Adam spoke to his team. Everyone else spread out to talk with some form of privacy. "We're taking this test no matter what. If we get our scroll and arrive at our gate as soon as possible, we can have more time to plan this out."

"B-b-but she said that..." Charlotte stammered.

"Arceus wants us in this exam, whether or not we pass," Adam reminded her sternly. "Would you rather face him, or a forest?"

"Besides," Ben spoke up, giving Charlotte a side hug, "we'll be in this together. We'll look out for you, I promise!"

"Chu-Chu!" Pichu agreed. Comforted, Charlotte signed her paper and gave it to Adam. Ben and Adam signed theirs, and together they turned in their forms. The proctor gave them an Earth Scroll, which Ben pocketed in his side bag, as well as a gate that turned out to be on the far side of the arena.

With less than a minute to talk, they decided on how to proceed. Ben, as the wilderness expert, would lead the team. They decided to head southwest towards the river, as a clear landmark for them to follow, then travel somewhat close to it down to the tower. Since there was little time and a proctor watching the door, they decided to wait until they were in the forest to finish their plans and make their move.

All too soon, the half-hour struck. "Let the Second Exam, BEGIN!" Anko announced over the intercom. The gate was opened by the proctor, who then got out of Team Pokemon's way. Team Pokemon quickly entered the arena, led by Ben. After a bit, Adam called out "We've lost the proctor. Lets set up before somebody else shows up!" They gathered in a circle. "Charlotte, you'll take the scroll from Ben."

"But-but..." Charlotte, already tired from the brief run, got worried, "then they'll target me!"

"Not if everybody thinks one of us has it," Adam pointed out. "You don't have your bag on you, but we have ours. So myself and Ben are the most likely one to carry it, so they're more likely to aim for us." Ben wasn't very comfortable at that thought, and Adam saw it. "Don't worry, you're so scrawny they'll overestimate you and think I'm the one guarding it." Ben was somewhat relieved, and Adam turned back to Charlotte. "But your Pokeballs are the perfect place to hide something without people realizing it. You can lock other people out from using your Pokeballs, right?" Charlotte nodded. Adam handed her the scroll "So give the scroll to a Pokemon you don't think you'll use in here."

Charlotte thought for a bit, then chose a Pokemon. "Come out, Florges!" A swirl of red came out before forming a floating flower fairy, which chimed its name. "Florges, can you hold this for me?" With a cry of joy, Florges wrapped its arms around the scroll. "Thanks! Return." Pokemon and scroll were absorbed into the Pokeball. Charlotte then placed her fingerprint on the front button and twisted it clockwise. "There. The scroll is secured."

"Now, for more scouting, Charlotte, can you summon your flyer?" Charlotte nodded, pulling out a second Pokeball. It's contents was a red and white bird with black and yellow wings. 'Fletchinder!' it announced, taking wing. "Thanks again," Adam told her. "Fletchinder, can you fly ahead of the group and tell us if you see anything?" The bird agreed, and circled overhead, waiting for the group to advance.

"Now for transportation," Adam continued. "I can't waste time with my Pokemon being out for my transport; we may need them if we encounter a strong team. Ben can handle himself in the forest, so I'll ride with Charlotte."

"Thanks! ... I think," Charlotte told him, reaching for a different Pokeball. "Go Gogoat!"

When their mode of transportation came out, Adam heard a scream. "I head something. Sounds like somebody had a run-in, and it didn't turn out too well."

Ben and Charlotte got worried about that. Whatever happened, they didn't want it to happen to them. "So, are we going the other way?"

"No," Adam announced. "This could be our chance. If they have a Heaven Scroll, and were taken out by wildlife, we can pick it up for free. If their scroll was taken, and we find the team who took it, they'll be tired from their battle and we'll have double the chance of getting a Heaven Scroll. And if there's another team there," Adam continued, a new idea in mind, "I hope they're one of the younger ones. Ben, get your mount and lets move out."

Somewhat reluctantly, Ben summoned Suicune. Because he was the slowest legendary dog, Gogoat could keep up more easily, and Suicune was nimble enough to travel from branch to branch. Ben took his way up the trees to scout out the area, while Ben and Charlotte followed on the ground.

After a minute or so, they found Fletchinder circling an area, and both Suicune and Gogoat stopped. Adam knew something was up, but there was no way they had reached the scream's location yet. As he dismounted, he called out "Hey Ben! See anything around here?"

Ben circled, looking around. Suicune stayed quiet, and Ben replied, "Nope. Did you?"

Charlotte understood Fletchinder's cries and looked back and to the left. There was a large patch of bushes, and she pointed them out in a whisper. "See those two paths of bent branches and loose leaves? At least two somebodies tried to hide in the bush, and very recently."

"Either they're missing a teammate," Adam noted, "or one was dragged by another."

"Well," Charlotte looked again, "one path shows dragging feet, and has more broken branches."

"So we may have to deal with two protective teammates," Adam mused. "It's too risky charging in. Lets bring them out from long range, then prepare for a fight. Can you do that?"

Charlotte nodded, then chose her Pokemon. "Riolu, use Aura Sphere." A bipedal dog/fox thing popped out, then launched its attack into the bushes. Three kids jumped out to dodge it, but did nothing to get attack ready. There was a boy with a spiky ponytail, a chubby boy, and a decent looking blonde girl with long hair.

"I see," Adam intoned, "a bunch of kids. Young, and weak. Much weaker than every other team. This must be your first attempt to pass the Chunin Exams." Downhearted, the three agreed. "It's our first year as well. Which is why I want to make an alliance."

All five people in attendance were shocked. "What are you doing?" Ben asked.

"You mean," the blonde girl said, "you're not after our scroll?"

"You three are obviously inexperienced with battles," Adam told everyone, "or else you would have tried to regroup or counterattack. Now, for our team's capabilities. Ben has some skill, but isn't well trained. Charlotte can call on her... pets... to battle for her, but she has never taken a direct part in the fight. Compared to you five, most teams here are experts, and will take you down easily if you are separate." Nobody liked his assessment, even if they agreed with it.

"During the first exam," Adam reminded them, "they said that we should not cheat, but that was the whole point of that exam. Now, they're implying that we should treat everybody as enemies and hope they have the scroll we need. If we're the only ones to disobey that command, we'll have the advantage of numbers, and can more easily ambush and win against teams stronger than us. But if somebody else figured out this strategy, and two strong teams unified against you..." Adam let that idea lurk in everybody's minds.

"I see you left one person out of your introductions," the pony-tail boy noticed. "What is your name and skill level?"

"Adam. Ever since I was little," Adam revealed, focusing on who now revealed himself to be the intelligent one and leader, "I've mastered various styles of fighting, as well as trained myself beyond the human limit. I will be a powerhouse in this alliance."

"This shaky alliance is troublesome," pony-tail groaned. "But it does offer us several advantages. How will this work, with us sharing scrolls, and when will the alliance break?"

"My team is required to participate," Adam told him, "but not to win. Your team, however, is here to advance. Together, we'll beat other teams, take their scrolls, and head to the tower. If we get to the tower with only one pair of scrolls, you will get them automatically and advance. If we get two pairs, we both can enter."

"Shikamaru," the chubby boy spoke up, "this sounds like a good deal."

"A little too good Choji," Shikamaru agreed. He turned back to Adam. "How can we trust you?"

"We'll show you our scroll," Adam said, giving Charlotte a pointed look she understood. "If you accept our alliance, we'll hand it over to you. But if you double-cross us..." Adam turned scary, and his middle jewel got a soft red glow to it. "We'll make sure to hunt you down and take every scroll you have."

By this point, Charlotte had called Florges back out, still holding the scroll. Surprised at the Pokemon's appearing and appearance, Shikamaru's teammates could do nothing but stare for a few seconds. Then the girl got a look of adoration. But before she could go fan-girl and cuddle what she dubbed 'the fairy queen', Shikamaru decided what to do. "Keep the scroll; ours is an Earth Scroll too. This may be troublesome... but I accept your alliance."

"But Shikamaru!" the girl spoke up.

"If we want to make it through this forest alive Ino," Shikamaru told her, "then this will be our best bet."

'Fletch! Fletch!' the bird cried from above. "Fletchinder says somebody's approaching from that way," Charlotte explained, pointing northwest. Thinking quickly, she returned Florges, still holding the scroll, to her ball and locked it again.

"This might be our first team," Shikamaru noted. "How do you want to handle this?"

"My team will scatter for an ambush," Adam told him. "You pull the same bush trick you tried on us. They should notice you and try to get you like we did. Prepare to defend yourselves from them, keep them in this area, and we'll strike."

Shikamaru nodded. "Better get going." With little effort, Team Pokemon scattered, Adam took mid-tree to the southwest, Charlotte hid behind a tree to the south with Fletchinder and Riolu, and Ben remained on Suicune high up a tree to the northeast. Shikamaru waited until the enemy team was almost on top of them, then pulled Choji into the bushes. Ino got herself in.

The team was traveling by ground, and paused in the alliance clearing. There was clear evidence on the ground of five footprints and four bush trails. But this team didn't bother to look at the ground, nor at the bush they jumped over. One of the team members silently got the other two's attention and pointed southwest. Coming to an agreement, the guide began to jump, taking point.

_Are these three for real?_ Adam thought to himself. _Well, now he's begging for it!_ Moving quickly, Adam let himself slide further down the far side of the large branch he was hiding on. Waiting for the right moment, Adam used the branch and sprang straight towards the ground. With perfect skill, he flipped mid-fall and began an axe kick. It collided with his target's back, sending him crashing into the ground. But the kick was still ready; Adam landed on his one foot on the same spot, pushing the ninja further into the ground. Adam didn't feel any resistance from below him, it was either a bluff or a knockout. His move, however, was in plain view of the other ninjas. They showed some competence, getting into a battle-ready stance. "Ben!" Adam called out. "It's your turn!"

Deciding not to test himself against those knifes, Ben rode out of hiding while remaining in the trees. The two ninjas were looking around for Ben, but didn't think to look up. "Got it Adam. Ice Beam!" Suicune obliged, and an icy beam zero'd in on the ninja closer to Adam. Suicune kept it up, freezing the ninja's legs, then body, then arms, leaving his head free. "This is too easy," Ben smirked. "Give it a try, Charlotte!"

Hearing her name, Charlotte froze. She wasn't ready to confront the ninja! They'll attack her directly, not her Pokemon! But she regained her composure. "Riolu, protect me," she whispered the command. 'Riolu,' he consented. She then yelled out "Fletchinder! Use Aerial Ace!" Fletchinder then started flying faster. He moved around the tree, and targeted the free ninja. With streams of air visibly tailing him, Fletchinder began his attack. Charlotte and Riolu stepped from around the tree to watch and give further commands.

This last ninja, however, had better reflexes against this more visible enemy than his companions. He flattened himself against the ground, avoiding the attack, then sped to Charlotte. "Nice try girlie," he said, "but it looks like you're friends aren't going to help you!"

He was approaching fast, and Charlotte screamed. Riolu, however, didn't flinch. 'Riolu!' he said, jumping forward in front of his trainer.

"Wha?" was all the ninja managed to say before Riolu's paw was covered in yellow light. This light caught the ninja's attention, and he jumped back to avoid it. However, he forgot about Fletchinder, who had doubled back to insure Aerial Ace hit. He was hit, but not hard, and fell into the bushes. At first startled, Shikamaru's team wasn't sure what to do. However, a quick order from Shikamaru got his teammates busy tying up their partly stunned victim.

Meanwhile, Adam approached the ninja who was frozen. "Who has your scroll?" He asked, in a tone that implied total obedience.

"Kegon does!" the coward blurted out.

"Which one is Kegon, and where is the scroll?"

"He's the one you knocked out! It's in his storage seal, hidden in his left sock! Please don't hurt me!" the ninja squealed.

"I can't believe it," Adam said, slowly moving towards his victim, "but there's a team here that's more pathetic than Shikamaru's. Would you three mind knocking these two losers out for a day or two?" As his allies did the work, Adam frisked the left sock. Sure enough, a piece of paper was there. "Now, does anybody know how to open this?"

"You, mean, you don't know how?" Ino spoke up.

"Where we come from," Adam revealed, "we don't have seals like this, and we can't do the ninja things you can. We have pets called Pokemon that can do similar things, so we never bothered learning it ourselves."

"That explains it," Shikamaru noted. "How troublesome. Give me the seal." Adam handed it over, and Shikamaru used his chakra to open it. Inside was a heaven scroll.

"As per our alliance," Adam reminded him. "That scroll is yours. We'll escort you safely to the tower, as long as you help us defeat enemy teams and let us take their scrolls."

"So let's go," Shikamaru ordered.

"By the way," Adam spoke up, "you didn't have to be the bait the entire time. The next time we run into a team, be a little more proactive in the attack." With a silent agreement, the six allies headed off again, with even Choji moving a little faster than Gogoat.

"Shikamaru," Ino whispered. "Why did we accept their alliance in the first place? And we now have two scrolls, why not try to break for the tower?"

"We can use all the help we can get. No doubt, other teams are laying traps around the tower, and Team Pokemon can help us break through," Shikamaru whispered back. "Also, this is the most mysterious team in the Exams. Everybody else is a ninja, but they have these Pokemon partners with high-class and high-power techniques. If we both advance, I'd like as much information as possible on them and their partner's abilities before we have to face them in the finals."

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><p><strong>You may not like my idea of having the teams cooperate, but I always want to make my fanfic's unique. Besides, Pokemon don't have much of an idea of the limits of Ninjas, and Shikamaru would want as much info on Team Pokemon as he could get. He knows Chunin Exams, they always include 1-1 brackets, meaning he'd have to face Team Pokemon if they passed, whether or not they accepted the alliance.<strong>

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><p><strong>Whatever holiday you celebrate, have a good one!<strong>

**AnonymousGX**


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